Guybrators? Now a Thing.

From vibrators and dildos, to beads and strap-ons, the sex toy options for New York ladies are pretty limitless. For men though? Notsomuch. But as the sex scene has evolved, matured, and become more mainstream, it’s kind of about time that NY dudes get theirs, too, right? ﻿

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Enter the “Guybrator”

Also known as PULSE, the Guybrator was developed by Adam Lewis, founder of sex toy brand Hot Octopuss. “Ten years ago the sex toy industry was dominated by cheap adult novelties,” says Lewis. “It was an industry where products were created not because there was a need for them, but because companies simply created them. We make it, you buy it, was essentially how it worked. It didn’t work well.”

According to Lewis, the sex toy industry’s big breakthrough was ushered in across America’s TV screens back in the early 2000s thanks to four ladies we New Yorkers have all come to know and love (/tolerate? /try desperately to break free from?).

“The big moment was in Sex & the City when Miranda described her experience with The Rabbit. That was the first time that an adult novelty was talked about on mainstream TV. All of a sudden, women were running out to buy their first vibrators,” says Lewis.

After this surge, the quality of female sex toys started to improve drastically, and price points began to climb.

“What caused this change was smaller, independent manufacturers designing items for women who cannot orgasm purely through intercourse,” says Lewis. Products like the We-Vibe bring clitoral stimulation in through intercourse, and essentially revolutionized the sex industry and actual sex. (Thank you. NO, seriously. I have two.)

Unfortunately for the fellas, the same was not true for the goodies in their toy boxes.

“I developed PULSE honestly because of a personal need,” says Lewis. “It so happened that I had experimented with vibrating objects and enjoyed them, so I thought I’d buy one for myself. This was back in 2009. I looked, and literally nothing existed. It was all phallic-type objects, and nothing that used technology or vibration.”

“It wasn’t the fault or mindset of the consumers," says Lewis. "It was just what was available to them. It was the manufacturer’s fault.” And so the idea for PULSE was born, as was a hero for literally every man who has ever gotten a wrist cramp and/or been shamed for that bottle of bedside Lubriderm.

How it works

If you look at PULSE, the first thing you will notice is that it looks... nothing like a vagina. At all. Unless vaginas look like futuristic, encapsulated jetpacks. The man inserts his penis (limp, half-stacked, fully stacked... what have you) into PULSE. Make sure the most sensitive part of your junk is touching the oscillating PulsePlate (this is the magic secret!). As the vibrations kick in, the wings of the PULSE expand and snugly wrap around homeboy. The result? Heeeyyyyy.

“For some reason it had been predestined that all male products had to look phallic and had to replace a female or man. Female products have been sold on the basis that, ‘no man can compete with this.' We had to do the same,” says Lewis. “There is a stigma that a man buying a sex toy is doing so because he cannot get the real thing. We turned the whole thing on its head. We said ‘no woman can ever replicate this sensation. It looks nothing like a vagina and it will give you the best orgasm of your life.’”

Once you’ve become the go-to guy for getting yourself off, where do you go? For Lewis the answer was easy. Like any humanitarian, he wanted to share the wealth. He wanted to get ladies in on the action. And so was born the PULSE II SOLO and PULSE II DUO, the most recent Guybrators to hit the scene. The PULSE II SOLO has been created exclusively for special happy man time, while the DUO has been designed with couples in mind. “We split the functionality of the PULSE to make it DUO," says Lewis. "We took the PULSE and put a second vibration mode underneath, and we created a remote control.” Both toys will give men the same kind of stimulation, but the DUO has a soft vibrating underside, which the woman can independently control via remote.

Adding a remote is a big part of where the sex industry is headed, according to Lewis. “Everything is going virtual,” he says. In the age of Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Facebook (the list goes on and on... and on), it’s a whole lot easier to stay connected. Sure, maybe you ordinarily use these to catch up with friends and share family photos from the vineyard, but why can’t those same social media platforms be applied to long-distance relationships, those times your boo is out of town on business, or that summer fling that you just can’t let die? “I love the term dildonics -- the use of sex toys through virtual means where one partner would have the female end and the other the male end," Lewis says. "Through things like Skype or FaceTime, you’d be able to have virtual intimacy through these products. It’s giving a whole new meaning to phone sex.”

Pervy? Or just really into "sexual health"?

After the Sex and the City epiphany, the next big break for mainstreamed sexuality was, ugh, Fifty Shades of Grey. As much as we would hate to admit that, and believe me, we hate to admit that, it’s true. “It’s a book and film about BDSM -- a very kinky, closed-door taboo topic,” says Lewis. “Now every housewife around (Editor’s Note: And a whole lot of dudes) is seeing the film and then buying the products. That has completely thrown us into mainstream. Everyday retailers who wouldn’t touch sex toy products before are now receiving demand and meeting the need by stocking the items.”

It seems the options are endless now. Sex toys have transformed from straight novelty, hokey, cheesy gag gifts into products of “sexual wellness.” “Vibrators are no longer vibrators,” says Lewis. “They are therapeutic massages. The whole industry has changed its persona and everyone wants to be a part of sexual health.” AMEN.

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Meagan Drillinger is a freelancer for Thrillist. She thinks sex is gross. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @drillinjourneys.